Threshold eliminator



Api. 24, 1923. 1,452,703 H.v,PoLLARD THRESHOLD ELIMINATOR Filed ,'June 23 1920 Patented am., a4, 192s;

insane;

HENRY v. retrasa), or sonnnvrnnn, MASSACHUSETTS.

T Hiansnonn ELIMINATOR. Y.

Application filed 'une 23,

i To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatfl, HENRY V.-.l)oLLi\.nn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerrilldin the county of Middlesexland State of 'Massachusetts have yinvented new and useful Improvements in Threshold Eliminators, .of which `the following is specification.

, used in doorways.

This invention relates ,to an attachment for doors. having yfor 1tspurposeto closethe space which ordinarily is closed by a raised threshold in `the passageway in which the door is hung. x t

Raised. thresholds rare objectionablel for various reasons, including among others, Athat they are defaced and worn away, and the adjacent Hoor surfacesk also become rapidly worn by the shoes of passers-by, because iioors near doorwaysl and thresholds `are walked upon more than any other part of the floor and becausethe presence of a threshold prevents rugs or other floor coveringbeing Such defacement is highly objectionable when the Hoor" and thresholds are made of polished hardwood; and results in the need for frequent refinishing and sometimes renewal of a threshold and attendant expense and inconvenience.

Another cause for objection is that persons passing through the doorway must take care to step over or squarely on a threshold to avoid being tripped or of slipping, as often happens when the edge of ones heel strikes the bevelled edge of the threshold.

The object of the present invention is to produce a device to be attached to a swinging door, and, with slight modification, to a sliding door as well, which will close the space usually closed by the raised threshold and will mount and slide over a rug or other floor covering,` eliminating need of the threshold heretofore found necessary tol block the space beneath the door when the latter is closed, is simple of construction and inexpensive to make; andmay be applied to the door without removing the same from its hinges. y

Referring to the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective of a passage-way with a door hung therein show'- ing my invention attached to the lower end p of the door. f

Figure 2 is an enlarged* fragmentary view of the door with my` invention appliedv thereto.

Figur@J 3 isacross section through a kdoor 1920. serial No. 391,040.

.. with my' device attached thereto, showing@` the chamber formed inthe ldevice giving play thereto for over-riding obstructions.

Figure f1 shows my device detached 'from 60 the door in perspective. y n

Referringnow to the drawing in detail by reference numerals,the same numerals designating the same parts throughout, the drawings; 10 designates a door, 11the casing, 65

in which the door is hung, while 12 desigy nates in a general way thefembodiment of my invention in a depending filler-piece attached to the lower end offa door. Such filler-piece may be made of any suitable construction and material, but is preferably of sheet metal, for instance, galvanized iron of such Ithickness as to be rigid, but not thick enoughfto be objectionably heavy. It is made Vwith sidewalls 13 and 14, an end wall 75 15, and a bottom 16, forming a-ftrough-like construction having one closed and one open end. The device is-adapted to be placed on the lower end of a door with the open end at the hinge edge and the Aclosed en d on theyso swinging edge. When inplace, it is secured Y to the door by means ofsuitable fasteners 17, as screws, nails, or the like, which are passed through elongated slots 18 vertically arranged in the side walls 13 and 11. The 85 I.

bottom 16 is slightly curved transversely of its length, affording a surface 19 which rises on both sides from an intermediate longitudinal line, and the lower portion 2O ofI the sides are bulged outward to permit greater rise of the bottom surface 19, without too steep an inclinationv for the purpose in view than would be possible if the sides were made parallel through their height.

The purpose of the, curved surface is to facilitate the passage. of the device over a rug or like obstruction.

The filler member 12, constructed, as set forth above, may be mounted on a door without removing the door from its hinges. To do so, the door is opened and the filler is slipped, open 'end foremost and with its sides embracing the bottom edge of the door, from the swinging edge toward the hinged edge of the latter, until arrested by the end wall 15.l Finally the fastenings 17 are driven into the door in the upper ends of the slots 18, at such a height that the filler will clear the highest part of the floor over which the door swings, so that thereafter the filler will hang from the fastenings'without at any time or` et any `point dragging on the inished floor. thin sheet or strip may be placed on the floor for the iiller tov rest on while the fasteners are being driven to provide the necessary clearance. Thereby the filler is hung so that it closes the space for a threshold ina doorway.v wherefore l.

have called it a thresholdfeleminator. It serves all the useful purposes and avoids the unsafev and unsightlyaspects, of a raised threshold; and saves money :tor the householder by avoidingl the necessity of frequent reiinishing and occasional replacement of worn thresholds and adjacent floors, and by enablingiloor covering to be laid in doorways where concentrated travel causes the greatest wear to occur. l Not only may the threshold eliminator be applied without unhanging the door, but it does not detract from the convenience, practicability or use of any door to which it maybe applied. lts use is not restricted to swinging doors for it may be applied to sliding doors as well; requiring no other modification for this purpose than 'suppression of the bulges 20 (possibly, though not always necessarily), and the provision of a risingv inclination at the outer end of its bottom.

The deviceis simple inconstruction and 'requires' no mechanism and no other force Having thus explained the nature ot my said invention and described a way of mak ing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in receive astenings passing into the door in 1 positions enabling the member to hang normally close to the floor and to rise for clearing a floor covering; the said bottom wall being inclined upwardly from an intermediate longitudinal line toward and beyond the 2. The combination with a door, of a threshold eliminator consistingof a hollow rigid filler member having spaced apart side walls adapted to admit the lower end of a 4door freely between them, and a transverse bottom wall; said side walls being bulged outwardly adjacent to the bottom wall, and the latter being gradually and continuously inclined upwardly in both directions from an intermediate longitudinal line to the bulged parts of the side walls.

lln testimony whereofy l have afixed my signature;

, HENRY V. POLLARD. 

